Premier Zille welcomes interdict granted against Public Protector Report

Premier Helen Zille has welcomed the Pretoria High Court granting an interdict against the Public Protector’s implementation of the remedial actions set out in her 2018 report, titled “Allegations of failure to declare interests which amounts to a violation of the Executive Ethics Code by the Premier of the Western Cape, Honourable Helen Zille”.

Premier Zille said: “I am confident that the granting of the interdict against the Public Protector, Part A of my application to the Pretoria High Court, is a step in the right direction to see Part B of my application realised, which seeks to review and set aside certain findings and remedial actions in the report.”

The interdict granted by the Pretoria High Court today was not opposed by any of the cited respondents, including the Public Protector or the office of the Chairperson of the NCOP. The office of the President and the Speaker of the Western Cape Parliament had formally indicated to the court that they would abide by this decision prior to it being heard today.

Premier Zille added: “I still reject out of hand that there was any conflict of interest between my public role as Premier, and the fact that my son, a mathematics teacher in Khayelitsha at the time, borrowed equipment from his employer, the Western Cape Education Department, in order to run free matric preparation workshops in disadvantaged schools. I supported him doing so. The only advantage was to the learners.”

“Insofar as there may have been a perception of a conflict of interest, I fulfilled the requirements of the law in mitigating it.”